History of Reflexology
The history of Reflexology
Reflexology can be first dated back to Ancient Egypt, as archaeologists found pictures depicting Egyptians giving each other a form of Reflexology on a tomb which came to be known as the ‘Physicians Tomb’ in Saqqara, Egypt.
In the picture the hands and feet are clearly being used while the images above the figures relate to energy, peace and goodwill. The Translation of the Hieroglyphics reads as a patient saying ‘please don’t hurt me’ while the physician responds with ‘I shall act so that you praise me.’
It is thought that this method was spread throughout the Roman Empire as well as being passed through the native Americans by the Incas. The Cherokee people are known to apply pressure to the foot to restore the balance of energy, often using wood probes to work the reflex points.
Modern Reflexology, known as Zone therapy, was developed by Dr Willian Fitzgerald in the early 20th Century. Dr Fitzgerald found that when applying pressure to certain points in the nose, mouth and the tongue it produced an aesthetic in certain areas of the body. He also found that placing pressure on certain parts of the hand and foot also produced pain relief. Through this he mapped out areas of the body and their connections. As well as this he noted the conditions affected by the pressure points and named it Zone therapy.
Zone therapy divides the body into ten longitudinal zones, which run from the top of the head to the tips of the toes. His findings showed that the parts of the body connected within these zones are linked by a flow of energy and that the parts of the body in each zone have an affect on each other.
Eunice Ingham, who became known as the ‘Mother of Reflexology’, developed this therapy even further by mapping out the entire body on the foot and developing Reflex points. She discovered that pressure to these points did not just have an anaesthetic effect but also stimulated healing.